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Space


October 1999 Space News

  • Space Laser May Move to Kirtland By John J. Lumpkin, Albuquerque Journal Thursday, October 28, 1999 -- The Federation of American Scientists says the United States plans to put a 20-satellite constellation of laser defense weapons in orbit.
  • Team ABL successfully demonstrates first software segment of battle management system October 28, 1999 (ACCNS) -- The Airborne Laser team, comprised of the U.S. Air Force, Boeing, Lockheed Martin and TRW, for the first time has successfully demonstrated integrated Battle Management hardware and software for the Airborne Laser in the Virtual ABL Facility at Boeing in Seattle.
  • Team ABL Successfully Demonstrates First Software Segment of Airborne Laser's Battle Management System Boeing 25 Oct 1999 -- Team ABL ­ the U.S. Air Force, Boeing, Lockheed Martin and TRW ­ for the first time has successfully demonstrated integrated Battle Management hardware and software for the Airborne Laser (ABL) in the Virtual ABL Facility (VAF) at Boeing in Seattle. The demonstration was completed recently, nearly two weeks ahead of schedule.
  • Testing completed on ABL program laser module (AFPN) 22 Oct 1999 - Another significant step toward deploying the Air Force's Airborne Laser missile defense system was taken by the successful testing of the TRW-developed laser module that will serve as the technical foundation for the ABLs flight laser modules.
  • DoD News Briefing - Presenter: Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen October 22, 1999 -- Egypt has agreed to start acquiring the Patriot for the future, but that would be some years before it comes on line. The Cooperative Defense Initiative is where each of the countries in the region that I have been talking to need to have increased shared early warning so that we can share information about any potential missile launches. What we want is shared information, shared early warning so that we are able to communicate to the countries involved, intelligence information that would alert anyone to whether missiles have been targeted and fired at a country.
  • Don't Equate Anthrax Shots and PB Controversy, Cohen Says American Forces Press Service 20 October 1999 -- DoD's ongoing anthrax vaccination program and its use of pyridostigmine bromide during the 1991 Gulf War aren't the same -- and no one should equate the two, Defense Secretary William Cohen said.
  • Cohen Touts Defense Cooperation in Gulf By Jim Garamone American Forces Press Service 20 October 1999 -- Under the March 1999 Cooperative Defense Initiative , the United States and its gulf allies would work together to build and operate defenses against foes who would use weapons of mass destruction.
  • Pentagon Projects More Judicious Use of Nerve Agent Drug American Forces Press Service 20 October 1999 -- The decision to give battlefield troops the anti-nerve agent drug pyridostigmine bromide won't be as easy in the future as it was during the 1991 Gulf War.
  • Lockheed Martin Inspects X-33 Fuel Tanks with Innovative Laser Technology Lockheed Martin 20 Oct 1999 -- Lockheed Martin Tactical Aircraft Systems developed its innovative LaserUT™ ultrasonic inspection system to test the integrity of composite materials in future fighters.
  • LOCKHEED MARTIN/ORBITAL TEAM SELECTED BY JAPAN'S NTT MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK TO NEGOTIATE N-STAR C GEOSYNCHRONOUS COMMUNICATIONS SATELLITE CONTRACT Orbital Sciences Corp. 20 Oct 1999 -- Orbital Sciences Corporation announced that the team of Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems and Orbital has been selected by Japan's NTT Mobile Communications Network, Inc. (NTT DoCoMo) for contract negotiations to build and launch NTT DoCoMo's N-STAR c geosynchronous communications satellite.
  • DOD AND RAND RELEASE REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE AS IT PERTAINS TO GULF WAR ILLNESSES AND PYRIDOSTIGMINE BROMIDE October 19, 1999 - Although medical research has not established PB as a cause of Gulf War illnesses, it "cannot be ruled out as a possible contributor to the development of unexplained or undiagnosed illnesses.
  • DoD News BriefingTuesday, October 19, 1999 -- Rand did not reach a conclusion that the issue under study was not likely a cause of Gulf War illness. In this report they have reached the conclusion that they just don't know. They can't reject the hypothesis that exposure to taking PB may have caused chronic effects.
  • DoD News Briefing: Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen and General Anthony Zinni Tuesday, October 19, 1999 -- The shared early warning? As a matter of fact, we are moving forward with technical discussions on shared early warning with Qatar and others. And that is part of this Defense Cooperation Initiative - we have not only the shared early warning, but also share information and techniques on coping with biological or chemical weapons' attacks.
  • Boeing Dedicates New, High-Tech Facility For NASA Human Space Flight Mission Support Boeing 18 Oct 1999 -- While no one is likely to confuse it with its better-known NASA counterpart in Houston, a $3 million, state-of-the-art Engineering/Mission Support Room (EMSR) dedicated at the Boeing Huntington Beach facility nevertheless will play a vital, if unheralded, role in ensuring the safety and success of NASA's human space flight missions.
  • Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen News Briefing October 18, 1999 -- The kind of cooperation that we are now pursuing with the GCC states is to have a shared early warning system that can be set up so that we can share information pertaining to any early warning activities that will alert us and others to preparation for any kind of a missile attack.
  • Text: Slocombe on National Missile Defense System, October 13USIA 13 October 1999 -- Walter B. Slocombe, under secretary of defense for policy, told the House Armed Services Committee October 13 that the threat from foreign ballistic missile programs is growing rapidly, making the United States' National Missile Defense System (NMD) a priority.
  • Sea Launch Successfully Delivers DIRECTV 1-R Satellite to Orbit Boeing 09 Oct 1999 -- Sea Launch, the multinational, ocean-based launch services company, officially began commercial operations with a stellar launch of the new DIRECTV 1-R direct broadcast satellite.
  • EDITORIAL: MISSILE DEFENSE SUCCESS Voice of America 8 October 1999 -- This capability shows that it would be possible to destroy or neutralize a nuclear, chemical, or biological warhead before it could cause any harm.
  • Happy To Do A Turn-Around On Strategic Missile Shield By Cecil Johnson Fort Worth Star-Telegram October 7, 1999 -- This, some of my critics will note, represents a dramatic turnaround for me on this issue. In the past I lambasted the "Star Wars" initiative as unrealistic and misguided. Now, to the chagrin of those of us who said it couldn't be done, verifiable missile interception was achieved. And I say "hallelujah" as I wash the egg off my face.
  • Boeing Delta II Launches Global Positioning Satellite for U.S. Air Force Boeing 07 Oct 1999 -- The U.S. Air Force launched a Global Positioning System (GPS-II-R) satellite, marking the 30th GPS satellite put into orbit by a Boeing Delta II over the past decade.
  • Defense Leaders Stand Firm on Anthrax Shot Program American Forces Press Service 07 October 1999 -- These concerns were fueled by controversial reports, many of them sprouting up on small Internet sites, that claim DoD's vaccine is untested and dangerous.
  • Background Briefing : Unified Command Plan Thursday, October 7, 1999 -- The functional command piece is where the focus of attention was, with Joint Forces Command and also with SPACECOM. The Joint Task Force Computer Network Defense, which originally resided here with DISA, is going to migrate and shift out to Space Command. And in addition, within the Joint Forces Command, there will be established a Joint Task Force for Civil Support, which will provide support to lead federal agencies which are not DOD, in the event of WMD incident in the United States which requires significant consequence management. DOMS works with the joint staff to Joint Forces Command, to have access to forces to respond to hurricanes and earthquakes. DOMS is the primary avenue still by which other elements of support would be provided to other agencies.
  • NATIONAL MISSILE DEFENSE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT RELEASED October 6, 1999 -- The Ballistic Missile Defense Organization's National Missile Defense (NMD) Joint Program Office announced today the public availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for potential ground-based system element sites in North Dakota and Alaska.
  • U.S. Military Wants No Domestic Law-Enforcement Role John J. Hamre, Deputy secretary of Defense, USA Today October 5, 1999 -- A column in USA TODAY last week implied that the Defense Department is seeking an active role in domestic law enforcement. That is absolutely wrong.
  • Raytheon's 'hole in one' By David Warsh, Boston Globe 10/05/99 -- ''What they've done is the equivalent of shooting a hole in one,'' said John Pike of the Federation of American Scientists, a prominent critic of antimissile systems. ''What they have to be able to do is shoot a hole in one every time. Missile defense must work perfectly if it is going to work at all.''
  • National Missile Defense conducts successful intercept test (AFPN) 04 October 1999 -- The successful intercept test Oct.2 was the first of about 20 planned intercept tests to demonstrate NMD system technology, effectiveness and reliability over the next six years.
  • Fallout from US antimissile success Jonathan S. Landay The Christian Science Monitor MONDAY, OCTOBER 4, 1999 -- Russia may reverse cuts in its huge nuclear force, and China may decide to enlarge its arsenal. "What the world looks like 10 years from now is hard to say, but it would probably be a world that's got more nuclear weapons than it has now," warns John Pike, an expert with the Federation of American Scientists.
  • U.S. Anti-Missile Test Is Latest In String Of Successes By Bradley Graham Washington Post October 4, 1999 -- "What they've done is the equivalent of shooting a hole-in-one," Pike said. "What they have to be able to do is shoot a hole-in-one every time. Missile defense must work perfectly if it's going to work at all. They can't afford to miss."
  • Defense Department Report, Monday, October 4, 1999USIA 04 October 1999 -- The Ballistic Missile Defense Organization's (BMDO) National Missile Defense (NMD) Joint Program Office announced October 2 that it had successfully completed the first test involving a planned intercept of an intercontinental ballistic missile target.
  • Missile test called a success BY JAMES V. GRIMALDI Knight Ridder 04 October 1999 -- "These tests generally miss more often than they hit, and missile defense would have to work perfectly if it was going to work at all," said program critic John Pike of the Federation of American Scientists. "Republicans are going to try to make it a campaign issue, and Democrats are going to try to prevent it from becoming one. The momentum toward deploying it will continue."
  • Boeing Leads Team to Successful National Missile Defense Integrated Flight Test Boeing 04 Oct 1999 -- The National Missile Defense (NMD) program has achieved a successful flight test intercept of a ballistic missile target. The Boeing Company is the prime contractor for the National Missile Defense Lead System Integrator (NMD LSI) program. This was the first intercept attempt of the current NMD program.
  • Tuesday's Delta II launch delayed Boeing 04 Oct 1999 -- Bad weather on Saturday at Cape Canaveral Air Station Fla., has delayed the launch of a U.S. Air Force Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket. The launch was originally scheduled for Tuesday.
  • Anti-Missile Test Marks a Measured Step By Bradley Graham Washington Post , October 4, 1999; Page A01 -- One leading skeptic -- John Pike of the Federation of American Scientists -- granted that Saturday's hit, even under the test's carefully controlled and limited conditions, was no small achievement. "What they've done is the equivalent of shooting a hole-in-one," Pike said. "What they have to be able to do is shoot a hole-in-one every time. Missile defense must work perfectly if it's going to work at all. They can't afford to miss."
  • COHEN MISSILE DEFENSE Voice of America 03 October 1999 -- The United States successfully fly-tested a key part of a national missile defense system Saturday. The test comes as U-S intelligence officials warn there is a growing threat that North Korea and other nations could develop ballistic missiles that could reach America. Critics say the system costs too much and won't work.
  • Stars Wars Lives (CBS News) October 03,1999 -- "There are two big problems," says John Pike of the Federation of American Scientists. "First, it's gonna miss some of the incoming warheads because there are gonna be a lot of decoy warheads flying along and it won't know what to hit. The other problem is that a lot of countries like China and Russia are gonna build up their nuclear arsenal so they'll be sure of being able to overcome the defense."
  • NATIONAL MISSILE DEFENSE CONDUCTS SUCCESSFUL INTERCEPT TEST October 2, 1999 -- An exoatmospheric kill vehicle (EKV) weighing about 120 pounds, equipped with two infrared sensors, a visible sensor, and a small propulsion system, located and tracked the target.
  • Media Availability at United States Joint Forces Command October 01, 1999 -- Under this Joint Task Force, it's very clear it is subordinate to civilian control; that it would be a lead agency, which would either be the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Justice Department, FEMA; that they would call upon the capabilities of the military to help organize responses to deal with the consequence management of a weapon of mass destruction, by way of example.
  • National Missile Defense Intercept Test Briefing Friday, October 1, 1999 -- Tomorrow's test when you include the hardware and the 300 engineers and the range costs and all is about $100 million. About four and a half minutes after launch the RV, the target RV is launched off of the stack along with a decoy, a large balloon, to go downrange. It's a radar-reflecting balloon. I think it's two meters in diameter. How much of a difference is there in the thermal signature of the balloon and the RV? It's pretty significant. About two and a half minutes after launch of the surrogate rocket, we launch the kill vehicle. That's about 1400 miles away from the RV at that point. For the next six minutes, it goes on its trajectory, trying to find and locate itself autonomously as well as acquire the RV to hit it. After six minutes of flight -- it starts to acquire that target and then ten seconds prior to impact it selects its aim point and then hits the target. The closing velocity at impact is 15,000 miles per hour. The addition of both of those velocities. We try to intercept it about 140 miles in altitude.
  • The Death Ray by Ned Madden , Orange County Weekly October 1-7, 1999 -- John Pike is a space-policy analyst at the Washington, D.C.-based Federation of American Scientists and a frequent critic of missile-defense programs. He says Congress, taking "heed of TRW's state," has made "a variety of adjustments in Pentagon plans to the company's benefit." Among these "adjustments" was Congress' decision "to increase funding for the company's Alpha chemical laser, which has consumed more than a billion dollars over nearly two decades and produced only a few seconds of laser light."
  • Boeing Delta II, U.S. Air Force to Launch Global Positioning Satellite Boeing 01 Oct 1999 -- After a brush with Hurricane Floyd, a Boeing Delta II rocket stands ready to launch a Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite for the U.S. Air Force.



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